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10 Jul 17. UK Political Appointments: Confirmation. The following Ministerial responsibilities have now been confirmed:-
. Minister of State for the Armed Forces: J M Lancaster Esq TD MP.
. Parliamentary Under Secretary of State and Minister for Defence People and Veterans: The Rt Hon T M Ellwood MP.
In addition the following Parliamentary Select Committee appointments were announced on 10 Jul 17:-
. Chairman of the Defence Committee: The Rt Hon Dr J Lewis MP.
. Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee: T Tugendhat Esq MBE MP.
(Source: DNA DEFENCE NEWS ANALYSIS, Issue 17/28, 24 July 17)
17 Jul 17. Iraq and Syria: OP SHADER. The Minister for the Middle East visited Iraq on 15/16 Jul 17 “to stress the UK’s continued support for Iraq after the defeat of Daesh in Mosul”. (FCO, 17 Jul 17.)
“We welcome, and will support, any initiative which will bring about a peaceful resolution to the civil war in Syria.” (Armed Forces. Minister, 17 Jul 17.)
On 13 Jul 17 Tornados struck a Daesh-held building in Mosul while on 14 Jul 17 Typhoons destroyed a tunnel entrance in Raqqa. On 15 Jul 17 Tornados hit a sniper in Mosul as Typhoons and Tornados attacked mortar
positions in Raqqa. On 16 Jul 17 a Reaper killed terrorists in Raqqa as Tornados and Typhoons eliminated three sniper teams and three other defended positions. (MoD, 17 Jul 17.)
Comment: On 17 Jul 17 the Council of the European Union (EU) added 16 people to the list of those targeted by EU restrictive measures against the Syrian regime. The decision brings to 255 the total number of people targeted by a travel ban and an assets freeze. (Source: DNA DEFENCE NEWS ANALYSIS, Issue 17/28, 24 July 17)
17 Jul 17. Ukraine: OP ORBITAL. The Defence Secretary confirmed (17 Jul 17) that the UK is expanding its training of the Ukrainian Armed Forces (UAF) with new courses covering threats such as: countering attacks from snipers, armoured vehicles and mortars. Since the beginning of the Donbas conflict in March 2014, 2,700 Ukrainian servicemen have been killed and a further 10,000 injured.
Comment: Over 1,300 UK personnel have been deployed in support of OP ORBITAL since 2015. The UAF have been trained in a number of skills such as: the identification of mines and IEDs (improvised explosive devices), medical care and logistics. The training mission is due to continue until at least early 2018. (Source: DNA DEFENCE NEWS ANALYSIS, Issue 17/28, 24 July 17)
12 Jul 17. House of Lords Report: OP SOPHIA. The House of Lords European Union Committee published (12 Jul 17) Operation Sophia: a failed mission.
While hailing the mission as a humanitarian success, the Committee concludes that OP SOPHIA has failed to achieve its objective of “contributing to the disruption of the business model of human smuggling and trafficking networks in the Southern Central Mediterranean”. In response, a Government spokesman said that the Operation “is saving lives and helping to disrupt the activities of smugglers”.
Comment: The Report found that over 33,000 people have been rescued in the Mediterranean since OP SOPHIA began in 2015. ‘Operation Sophia: a failed mission’ was published as HL Paper 5 and can be found on the House of Lords EU Committee page on the Parliament website (www.parliament.uk).
(Source: DNA DEFENCE NEWS ANALYSIS, Issue 17/28, 24 July 17)
18 Jul 17. Armed Forces’ Pay Review: Senior Officers’ Increase. The Senior Salaries Review Body published (18 Jul 17) its recommendations on the pay of Senior Officers of the Armed Forces. Broadly speaking, a one per cent increase has been recommended and agreed.
Comment: The Defence Secretary announced publication of the 2017 Report of the Armed Forces’ Pay Review Body on 28 Mar 17; the Report shows the rates of pay for all ranks up to and including Commodore/Brigadier/